Brookwood Estate, Margaret River

It’s rather late on a quiet suburban Friday. The air is cool, clean and lingering, reddening my skin as fingers tap on plastic keys in the half-light. Today was the sixth official day of the Australian winter, cold but bright. A woollen blanket lies perched upon my lap, cushioning the weight of a softly humming laptop.

So, it may be no surprise that my husband and I took the recent ‘Western Australia Day‘ weekend as another excuse to visit the south west; or more specifically, the Margaret River wine region. Three days of rolling green pastures, log fires, locally farmed food and boutique wine was too good to miss.

Let’s rewind to last Saturday morning. Aaron and I packed our bags, tumbled into our battered sedan and drove two hours south to the coastal town of Bunbury. We ate dinner (steak sandwiches and calamari at the waterside Mash brewery), slept (in our car. No, I am not joking), bought coffee (from McDonalds; it was actually passable) and then continued our drive to the Margaret River region.

Now, one of the most wonderful things about the south west is that no matter how many times you’ve visited, there’s always something else to explore – whether it be pristine beaches, national parks, wineries or surfing breaks. Trust me, I’ve been countless times and it was only last weekend that I discovered the rambling country road that led to Brookwood Estate.

Brookwood is a family owned and run vineyard that was established in 1996 by Trevor and Lyn Mann (pictured above). The couple experienced their first harvest around 1999 after three years of nurturing ten thousand Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines across a six hectare property. They have since been working alongside their daughter, Bronnlea Cahill (now head winemaker) to create a unique and delicious range of wines featuring one hundred percent estate-grown fruit that has been processed, blended and bottled on-site.

Brookwood has since developed into a biologically balanced, thriving boutique vineyard that produces around 5000 cases of wine (each with 12 bottles) per year. Initially serving platters and tasting plates, the winery has since established a thriving restaurant and cafe that serves lunch and snacks from 11.00am – 5.00pm daily.

Aaron and I were fortunate enough to visit Brookwood last Sunday afternoon, the first official day of Australian winter. That morning, light rain had fallen across the south west in a glistening blanket, the earth smelt fresh, green and nourished.

Upon arriving at Brookwood, the scene was ridiculously beautiful. Fresh raindrops clung to the russet vines like sparkling jewels; the grass was bright and saturated with colour. We spent a few minutes snapping photographs, clambering from vine to wine before the scent of food beckoned. We obeyed, making our way towards the tin and timber-clad winery restaurant.

It was here that we met our affable host for the afternoon, Lucy. She swiftly ushered us to our table and provided a brief overview of the restaurant menu and its focus on local produce.

With a warm smile, she left us to peruse our lunch options whilst fetching one half of the vineyard’s management team, Lyn Mann.

Once again, if you’re a regular reader of the Mess you’d be aware that I follow a simple locavore policy when it comes to both food and wine. Where possible, I believe in purchasing fresh, local, organic, biodynamic, sustainable and ethically produced products with minimal food miles, environmental impact and wastage.

To my delight, Brookwood follows this same philosophy with a particular emphasis upon clean production, recycling and viticulture that follows organic principles. That’s a big A+ in foodie terms.

Let me (or Lyn, in actual fact) explain a little further. Brookwood voluntarily recycles all of its glass, cardboard and paper refuse whilst throwing kitchen waste to their hungry family of chooks (chickens, for the non-Aussies out there). Residual grape skins and seeds are used in organic compost whilst the kitchen’s used cooking oil is recycled as bio-diesel to drive the machinery that maintains their 6 hectare property.

Upon tasting some of Brookwood’s wines (with their fantastically knowledgeable cellar door man and assistant winemaker, Greg) I was also pleased to discover that the vineyard uses unbleached, naturally matte cardboard and ‘green glass’ for all elements of packaging. This reduces the winery’s carbon footprint by at least 30%.

Lyn’s husband Trevor explains: “The customers are interested in what’s inside the bottle, not the packaging”. That’s a big thumbs up from me. If only more wineries thought the same.

After finishing our tasting, Aaron and I ordered two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.00 per glass) before settling down to await our pre-ordered lunch (Lyn cleverly suggests that customers order their lunch before visiting the cellar door for a wine tasting; that way you pick an appropriate wine for your meal and limit wait time at the table). The wine was richly pigmented, medium-bodied and aromatic with vine fruit, bay leaf and spice – characteristic of the Margaret River region. With a soft finish, it was altogether delicious.

As both of us are fans of small plates, we picked the following items from the tapas menu:

The first items to arrive were the panko-crumbed oysters and scallops, both perched steadily in their shells upon piles of coarse rock salt. We ordered one of each per person and I must say, after rambling about the property for one hour we devoured them hungrily.

Of the two seafood items, the oysters were the definite standout. Both Aaron and I adored the contrast between the soft avocado salsa and the crisp, golden-fried panko crumbs. Beneath the crunchy exterior, the oyster flesh was fresh, slightly salty and delicious. I’m not a huge oyster fan but with these, I was completely sold.

Our second plate of seafood, the Esperance scallops, were also delicious. Slightly caramelised, soft and juicy. I did find that the delicate flesh was slightly overwhelmed by the acidity of the pickled vegetables, however that was easily remedied by ‘adjustment of ratios’ on the fork.

Next to arrive was a plate of estate-made dukkah, olive oil and Turkish bread. I was rather excited to try the ‘house blend’ which Lyn advised was available for purchase via That Margaret River Stuff (online or at the cellar door). The fresh bread was served warm, generously piled upon the plate.

Upon first bite, I could already tell that the bread was beautifully chewy and authentic. We eagerly dunked it into the pot of local extra virgin olive oil before generously dipping into the toasty house-made dukkah. Unfortunately, that was where things went just a little bit wrong.

Now, let me explain something: both Aaron and I are used to eating either homemade or Providore dukkah, both of which lend themselves towards a generous dip, slather or enthusiastic sprinkle. The estate-made dukkah at Brookwood is entirely different and my rather ‘generous’ dip resulted in a mouthful of salt, ground coriander and cumin which needed to be drowned by a large gulp of cold water.

However, when used sparingly I did enjoy the mixture of spices, sesame seeds and local toasted macadamia nuts. The olive oil was fruity, glossy and altogether delicious.

After finishing our bread, the chorizo and mushrooms arrived with a side of vibrant green broccolini. I was intrigued to see clusters of what resembled praline in the vegetable dish; after checking the menu I remembered the reference to ‘salted caramel macadamias’ which I couldn’t wait to try.

After crunching my way through a few forkfuls, I was absolutely sold on the balance of sweet and savoury. The buttery crunch of macadamias worked brilliantly with the sweet toffee, salty prosciutto and fresh green vegetables. There was a soft undertone of organic stock and I’d love to attempt the entire combination at home one day. Kudos to Chef Aven (who apparently met Lyn and Trevor by chance during an industry event. We’re pretty lucky that he did).

The salty, rich chorizo was beautifully balanced by delicate slices of accompanying pickled apple whilst the mushrooms were meaty and flavoursome. The creamy chevre was a delicious accompaniment, enlivened by scattered green garlic chives.

After draining our wine glasses, we sat for a few minutes before deciding to share one of Chef Aven’s sweet offerings, the white chocolate semifreddo with toasted coconut and chocolate soil ($9.00).

I do think that the pictures speak for themselves.

I’m not an expert on semifreddo by any means, but this one was a little firmer than I expected. More like ice cream which had been pulled straight from the freezer than a mousse-like consistency. It was nevertheless delicious, with notes of both toasted coconut and soft vanilla.

The interior of the frozen dome housed the ‘truffle’ part of the dessert, a coconut and wafer ball with a milk cream and almond interior that resembled a FerreroRaffaello (on second thoughts I am 98% sure that it was a Raffaello, which is by no means disappointing, however I was in some respects hoping that the truffle component would be homemade).

The fresh berries, delicate herbs and chocolate granules were a beautiful accompaniment to the entire dish and we were left feeling rather blessed and satisfied.

Rather than proceeding on to of offers coffee or tea, we headed back to the cellar door to pick up a bottle of estate red to take back to Perth. After another chat with both Greg and Trevor, we left with a bottle of Brookwood 2012 Shiraz Cabernet ($26.00). I’m looking forward to drinking it over the winter months with some beautifully warming food.

Before we exited the cellar door, Trevor also advised that a very special barrel of Shiraz (‘Mann Up’, below left) is planned for bottling in July or August this year. Its release date is currently unknown but I am rather excited.

All in all, both Aaron and I were entirely impressed by the quality and value-for-money of the food and wine on offer at Brookwood. Living in a state plagued by exorbitant restaurant pricing, I was in awe of what Chef Aven was producing for prices that don’t break the bank.

Brookwood is definitely a destination in itself, not a stop-off on a boozy wine tour. Next time you’re heading to Margaret River, call in a lunch booking and enjoy some genuine south west food, wine and warm hospitality.

Disclaimer: Laura and Aaron attended Brookwood Estate Winery and Restaurant as invited guests; the prices above are included for your information (however the take-home wine was purchased with our own hard cash). No compensation was received for this post and all opinions are our own.

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107 responses

Severe Margaret River envy right here… Fantastic post and awesome photos as always! Sounds like it was a well deserved break from the chaos that is the daily grind. Great to see Broccolini make an appearance! :)

That sounded (and looked) entirely better than I had anticipated! Yeah lets go again! Especially since you forgot to get me a bottle!! Now I think is a good time to introduce my latest best friend policy (to qualify in maintaining your current position as bestie, you MUST ALWAYS buy said bestie a bottle when visiting new biodynamic vinyards, ALWAYS!, of course if it’s just one of those shitty non-biodynamic ones, well, you can leave that well alone, I am setting you up on my credit card for future vinyard visits so you shall have no excuse). Nice post! (btw I have seen copyright logo’s on photos that look like toddlers have taken them in comparison to these, so you might want to get onto that) Big Love, V, xx

Everything looks absolutely amazing Laura! Brookwood sounds like such a fantastic place. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your detailed post about the food and each course and I loved all the beautiful photos, especially the wine pouring one. I love how you write…very beautifully done and so enjoyable to read.

Thank you so much lovely, I appreciate the generous words and your support in this blogging thing! I do hope you make it over here to Western Australia one day. I’m proud of my home state and its emphasis on good food! Thanks again for taking the time to write Brandi! xx

Wow! What an amazing place..I completely understand why you keep going back to the Margaret River region. I love the way you have described and photographed your visit. I am on a virtual tour with you and loving it:-) Now, time to plan a real visit which I hope to do soon. Amazing photographs Laura…all of them!

Laura, thank you so much for bringing me along to this magical place … and your photos, so magical too. It’s just like being there in your company. I have only been to wineries – one in New Zealand, Cloudy Bay and one in France, Bel-Air. It’s something about wineries … and the work that goes into a wine yard. We have winery here Skåne, not fare from Malmö. I never tasted their wines, but their “champagne” is very good. Beautiful post in both words and images.

I didn’t realise there was a winery in Skane. My uncle was talking to me the other day about the amount of imported wine available in Malmo (American and Australian as well as from Europe!) and I was amazed that he could purchase some Western Australian varieties. I will have to try the ‘champagne’ when I come to visit! I am glad that you enjoyed the post beautiful Viveka xxx

Laura, France is really suffering from all the New World wines – I think we are the biggest importer of Chilean wine in the world. I love Chilean wines and Argentina reds too.
But my favorite red is from France, Bel Air and my favorite white is from New Zealand, Cloudy Bay.
South Africa and Australia we drink a lot of wine from.
Soon it’s time for Malmö … we have such a lovely weather just now – hope it stays like this … Midsummer Festival this weekend, drunk and headless … 90% of all Swedes.

Laura, What fun. The grounds (and beautifully crafted plates) are beyond reproach. Your photography skills capture the essence of the estate. Just lovely. Oh, and the olive oil and wine are calling out to me, all the way over in New Mexico!

The oysters were amazing Graz, so good! We’re so lucky to have such delicious WA produce. Are you heading over here again any time soon? It’s seriously rainy at the moment… the whole city of Perth is drowning.

Thanks so much Suz. Yes, I am a huge lover of dukkah and I had high expectations with this one but it unfortunately fell a bit short. Easily remedied though, the rest of the visit was amazing! Thanks so much lovely x

I am not a drinker but I do appreciate what it takes to make wine. The colour of the red is just beautiful. The food on the other hand, I eat quite fondly! Everything looks wonderful. And your photos of the vineyard are breathtaking. Such a lovely day for you guys!

I too share a love affair with this region. It always amazes me how a weekender break in Margs can revive and refresh me even when I’m feeling at rock bottom. It is the perfect medicine for burn out form work and we never run out of finding things new places to visit. I have only stopped in to taste wines at Brookwood many moons ago, before they served food I think. I do recall us buying a number of bottles we enjoyed it so much. I love your photojournalism style of your afternoon there, it dragged me right into the moment and has me already planning when we can make our next return visit.

I completely agree, Margs is such a beautiful place to escape. We’re lucky that it’s so close to Perth. Definitely go back to Brookwood if you have the chance, I really enjoyed the food and wine there. I wish I bought another bottle actually, we’ve finished the Shiraz Cabernet already! Thanks for the lovely words Martine, hugs xx

Laura, it’s so lovely to read a post like this both having visited the area you’re talking about (and a similar winery – don’t remember which one though, unfortunately) and knowing that I’ll have the chance to do so again very soon (our flight is later today). I have to say that the food looks absolutely delicious. If I’m honest, the prices in and around the Perth area for restaurant food do take a bit of ‘getting used to’, but I don’t mind paying if the food is good. Some of this sounds incredible – especially that dessert!

Oh, I do hope that you had a safe trip over Helen! You’re entirely right about Perth prices. They are rather ridiculous and I always cringe when I reach for my wallet at the end of a night out. There’s no avoiding it though, Western Australia is just expensive in general. This place is quite reasonable in comparison to many other places I’ve tried! Keep me updated on your Perth adventures, it’s ridiculously rainy here today but hopefully you will get some good weather soon! xx

Laura, I absolutely love these posts!! It’s like you literally transport us with you wherever you are going! Western Australia’s south west food and wine region looks absolutely stunning and breathtaking!!! I LOVE your photos and everything looks so good! ok, those panko-crumbed oysters looked so good. . I’ll have everything off of that tapas menu please! Looking forward to more travel/adventure/foodie posts from you like this this summer!

Beautiful, beautiful post (as always)! Those oysters? Amazing! And the white chocolate semifreddo? Stunningly mouthwatering! And seriously, girl – that pic of the Brookwood logo reflected in the gorgeous glass of wine? Art. So lovely! Such a joy to see what you’ve been up to!

Chris and I are thinking of doing a holiday in Western Australia in the next year or two and I can’t wait to get to the Margaret River region. I’m storing this post away for the day when we finally sit down to plan our holiday!

Oh, you’ll love it over here Amy! Any time of the year… summer is gorgeous for the sunshine, beach weather and lazy evenings eating al fresco, but I also love renting a log cabin in the winter months and snuggling up by the fire with a glass of red wine. So wonderful! Let me know when you’re coming over if you need any tips! xx

I love going to wineries but it’s been quite a few years since I’ve been to one. I am so jealous of you, in a good way. Your photos make me feel like I was there too. I know how much fun it is to visit wineries, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post!

What fun to get in on our day out!! It all looked so beautiful and serene. And loved the pics of your small plate lunch– That’s the best– getting to try a lot of different things. thanks for giving us a peek!

Wow, lovely mouth-watering shots! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit the Margaret River region while living in Sydney, though I loved wines from there. I’ll come back to indulge in the Aussie flavours and get inspired from time to time. Thank you.

Your photographs are outstanding Laura! As always! And what a lovely place, every dish looks like a work of art! Your words describe everything so well I can taste it. I need to start saving some cash and plan a trip to Australia…. which might happen 10 years from now LOL.

What an amazing write up, and ahhh……the Margaret River, I have always wanted to go there ever since I was sent a book of recipes from the region to review, it’s on the blog somewhere! GORGEOUS photos, as always and a lovely write-up…….Karen

Another wonderful food & wine travel post of yours, dear Laura, always such a pleasure. Your pictures catch the atmosphere so well that by looking at it you get the feeling to be right there at Margaret River region. Must be a great place with great food – and those stuffed oisters look and sound overwhelmingly interesting!

Laura, your photography always takes my breath away – I love coming here for a visit and dive into your world for a while and dream a bit to…can never hurt… I marvel at the photos, the light, the food, your writing, and your talent at putting this lovely post together! Sure looks like an amazing place to visit!
Thank you for a very lovely post that I enjoyed on a very grey Monday morning,
Andrea

Thank you Kate, that means a lot. I love the writing component of blogging… it’s a lot of fun trying to immerse myself in what I’m writing about. I hope that you get to visit Australia one day soon. I think that you (and Cookie!) would love it… rolling hills, lots of organic produce, heaps of vegetarian options too! x

Oh my gosh Laura!!! What a brilliant sounding day!!! You took such great shots (I loved the one of the wine being poured into the glass)! And you described all the food so, so well–I felt like I was right there with you diving into those salty, crusted oysters. Total yum. So happy that you and Aaron got to spend a great day with all that great wine + food :))

Your posts are so rich. Rich with visuals, rich with beautiful language, rich with emotion. You transported me (all of us) completely! Than you for sharing. I’m so glad you got to have such a magical day.

What a wonderful account, dear Laura, and what an even better visit this must have been! I love your review of the whole experience, food and wine tastings. Those oysters look nothing short of amazing! As always, you also did an outstanding job on your exquisite photography. A brilliant post all around. :-)
Hope you are well.
Hugs :-)

I do wish that you could try this place Stefano, it’s wonderful! I’d love your opinion on the wine in particular :) As always, your encouragement regarding my photography means a lot. I have huge respect for you my friend :)

You deserve to be treated like royalty and taken to all the wonderful restaurants in the world, I have never seen a review so detailed or with such wonderful photography – all round INCREDIBLE! I wish you could teach me your photography skills!

Naw, Uru you are amazingly talented in your own right. I know you’re going to go far in this strange old business of ours! If you lived in Perth I’d suggest that we go for a bite to eat and some photo snapping… darn it, this country is too large! xx

This is a stunning post Laura! I can’t believe I missed it! What a lovely afternoon you had, such gorgeous food and beautiful photos. Washington State has some of it’s own amazing wineries and I love nothing more than spending time discovering them and their beautiful food. My idea of paradise. :)

Thank you so much Maria! I appreciate it hugely. I need to try some American wine one day… I’ve been gradually learning about European varieties but we have very few American imports in our local wine stores. I need to hunt a bit further! xx

Laura, your images of the vineyard have me weak in the knees! That wine pour shot is nothing less than stunning! I love to hear about how your winter coincides with our summer and it makes me wish for cooler days already :) Beautiful post!!

How gorgeous, lovely. Just the nicest post of escapism and wine and local eats. What ace produce and colours and space you have in WA. I find this time of year, transitioning into truly cold, to be the most beautiful x

Absolutely beautiful writing and photography Laura, as always. Great looking place, love their organic principles and recycling philosophy. Very lucky chooks by the sound of it! I’m living vicariously through your blog this evening as I’m still at work at 8.30pm and absolutely starving. Very cruel Laura. I could go oysters, scallops, field mushies and a nice red right about now. PS. We’ve also succumbed to McDonalds coffee on occasion – we call it ‘holiday coffee’.

Aw you poor thing! Hope that you managed to escape work in good time (I still remember the painful hunger the first time I travelled to Spain… dinner at 11pm! My stomach wanted to eat itself). And yes, McDonalds is pretty convenient when on holiday! Haha xx

Love the spirit of the Margaret River as captured by you here Laura. if anything tells me of winter time and cool weather comforts, it’s winter sunshine peeking through glorious scenery. A bottle of wine, or two and delicious food and wonderful hospitality! Looks like the perfect city get-away & escape!

What a beautiful place and what an amazing and stunning collection of gorgeous and appetizing photographs. Masterfully and cheerfully presented as always! A real treat even if it’s just virtual and even though you’re making me drool over my keyboard. (The scallops were the ones that really made my mouth water.) Wonderful post! So happy to be back in this happy and delicious space on the Internet :)

Oh Azita! So lovely tom hear from you again! I’ve been having heaps of fun catching up on your holiday posts… looks like you had such an amazing food and family adventure :) Glad that you enjoyed this post… and yes, the scallops were wonderful! x

Laura your photos are so beautiful! and your lovely description make me wander to your exciting road trip and adventure :) (sleeping in the car – that would’ve been a lil fun :P)
yummmm turkish bread and dukkah is the bessssst! hehe i tend to severely over dunk as well as my food morel tends to be the more the better :P
what a fantastic trip!
xx